Optical Measurement Systems

Abstract

The twenty-first century sometimes is denoted as the century of light. Processing of light will be a core competence, e.g., in information science, in the design of molecules in medical applications, in minimal invasive diagnostics, and in measurement methods with extremely high resolution. Progress in light sources and optical detectors combined with efficient data analysis hardware and software has resulted in fast, compact, and reliable optomechatronic measurement systems. Further research in the interaction of optics, mechanics, and electronics will undoubtedly result in advanced technical measurement systems. A field of measurement science that has gained increasing importance is optical radiation as a diagnostic tool. In this respect, the use of photons—instead of electrons—has proven to provide a large variety of advantages.